The Red Mansions

Chapter 1712 Jia Heng: Such a beautiful country, let him pick up his brush and paint!

Palace Garden, Funing Palace
Concubine Duanrong was wearing a plain white long dress and had an elegant bun on her head. She was sitting on a wooden couch by the window. Her temperament was cold and bright, but her face looked haggard and sad.

Her only son was imprisoned, his life or death uncertain. How could Concubine Duanrong not be worried?

At this moment, a female official came from outside, her face full of fear, and said: "Madam, something terrible has happened. It is said that His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan... He committed suicide out of fear of punishment."

Imperial Concubine Duanrong stood up suddenly, turned her head and looked at the female official, dumbfounded and surprised, and asked reprimandingly: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Her Ze'er? How could he commit suicide out of fear of punishment? It must be that King Wei who murdered him in secret.

How could Jia Ziyu be so cruel and ruthless?

"Jia thief, Jia thief!" At this moment, Concubine Duanrong's heart was filled with hatred and she almost gritted her teeth.

Concubine Duanrong's face was as pale as paper, and her clear eyes were shining with cold light like stars. She turned her eyes to the female official beside her and said urgently, "Go and call Prince Wei!"

Later, she would definitely question Jia Ziyu why he treated her like that?
After a while, a young eunuch walked quickly from the outer room into the hall and said in a loud voice, "Madam, the Prince of Wei is here."

When Concubine Duanrong heard this, she felt like she was struck by lightning, and a surge of hatred surged in her heart.

Jia Ziyu, you actually have the nerve to come here at this time!

She wants to fight this traitor!
After a while, the young man in the python robe came in from outside. Under the wingless crown with the word "山" on it, he had a calm and resolute face.

Concubine Duanrong glared at Jia Heng, gritting her teeth and yelling, "Jia thief! Return my son's life to you!"

As she spoke, Concubine Duanrong used her two hands with sharp nails to scratch Jia Heng's face.

Jia Heng said coldly: "Your Majesty, you are wrongly accusing me. The Prince of Yan knew that his crime was exposed, and he committed suicide out of fear of punishment. What does it have to do with me?"

Concubine Duanrong was silent for a moment, then asked, "If it wasn't you who secretly instructed him, how could Ze'er commit suicide?"

Jia Heng's face turned stern, and he said in a deep voice: "Chen Ze is the direct descendant of Emperor Shizong Xian. If he doesn't have this bit of courage, he is really insulting Emperor Shizong Xian!"

Upon hearing this, Concubine Duanrong was speechless for a moment.

Doubts inevitably arise in my mind. Could it be that Ze'er is really just thinking too much?

However, the beautiful lady's sparkling eyes looked at the young man in the python robe like dew and said, "If it wasn't for you, how could Ze'er die? It's all because of you!"

Jia Heng looked indifferently at Concubine Duanrong, whose face was filled with anxiety, and said, "Concubine Rong, Chen Ze wanted to murder me, and now he committed suicide out of fear of punishment. It can be said that he brought it upon himself. How can you blame others?"

When Concubine Duanrong heard this, her snow-white face turned even paler, and she said, "How can you... be so cruel?"

Jia Heng's sword-like brows and clear eyes were filled with coldness. He said in a deep voice, "My Lady, when the King of Yan harmed me, wasn't he cruel?"

Well, just come here every day to tease Concubine Duanrong, which is actually not bad.

Imperial Concubine Duanrong's jade-like face was filled with rage, and she said fiercely, "Jia thief, I will fight you to the death!"

But then, like a flash of cold light, a silver hairpin in Concubine Duanrong's hand stabbed Jia Heng's neck fiercely.

Jia Heng was so agile that he just stretched out his hand and grabbed the pure white wrist of Concubine Duanrong. His eyes narrowed slightly with a hint of coldness, and he said, "Madam, are you going to assassinate me?"

Under the willow-shaped eyebrows of Concubine Duanrong, her crystal clear eyes stared at the young man in the python robe and said, "Let me go!"

Jia Heng stared at Concubine Duanrong's face, which was somewhat cold and beautiful, and made Concubine Duanrong feel a little uncomfortable.

"Danglang~"

A hairpin in Concubine Duanrong's hand fell to the ground, and suddenly, it made a clear "ding" sound, which almost frightened Concubine Duanrong.

Under his sword-like eyebrows slanting into his temples, Jia Heng stared intently at Concubine Duanrong's bright eyes, and then he let go of Concubine Duanrong's slender hand.

While Jia Heng was speaking, he stretched out a hand and gently put it on Concubine Duanrong's shoulder. He looked at her snow-white face and asked, "My Lady Rong, please take care of yourself!"

After all, she was Xianning's mother, so it was impossible for him to really do anything. However, such a fierce temper did arouse some thoughts in him.

After a while, Jia Heng had already left Funing Palace.

Concubine Duanrong's face was frozen as she watched the young man in the python robe go away. She couldn't help feeling dejected and before she knew it, she was already in tears.

Ze'er, her Ze'er...

……

……

Shenjing City, Ningguo Mansion——

Jia Heng turned around and left the palace, returning to the mansion. When he raised his eyes, he met Chen Xiao's bright eyes and said, "Xiaoxiao, how have you been recently?"

"You're back?" Chen Xiao's clear eyes twinkled under her emerald eyebrows. She said with concern, "Have you almost predicted what's going on outside?"

Jia Heng nodded and said, "Yes, now that the court has cleared all political enemies, we can finally govern this Han territory well."

Such a beautiful country, let him pick up his pen and paint!
After the death of Prince Yan, the "anti-Wei" forces in the court were wiped out. In the next one or two years, after arranging the personnel in the court, the government focused on improving national affairs internally and expanding the territory externally, attacking the Junggar tribe, recovering the Western Regions, and dominating the sea.

Chen Xiao's beautiful eyebrows and cold eyes seemed to contain concern. He asked, "What are your plans next?"

Jia Heng said in a gentle voice: "During this period of time, the situation in the capital should be stable for a while. First, gradually replace the local governors and governors, and then we can talk about other things later."

Chen Xiao nodded and asked, "Didn't you want to write a letter to Han Huang before? He is now in Shaoxing, Zhejiang."

Jia Heng nodded and said, "Bring me the writing brush and ink. I will write a letter right away."

He wanted to write a letter to negotiate with Han Yang on the distribution of power within the Zhejiang Party in the court in order to win the support of scholars in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

This was part of the division of the scholars in the south of the Yangtze River.

While Jia Heng was speaking, he wrote a letter and then asked the maid outside the mansion to give it to the Jinyi officer waiting outside the mansion to deliver the letter to Zhejiang.

After finishing all this, Jia Heng held his son in his arms, looked at Chen Xiao, and said softly: "Right now, the Western Regions cannot mobilize troops for the time being."

Chen Xiao whispered, "Then the domestic affairs are mainly about the laying of the railway tracks."

Jia Heng nodded and said in a gentle voice: "The cement road from Shenjing to Nanjing has been repaired and opened to traffic, but the road is limited in the transportation of goods by horse-drawn carriages, and is not as fast as the steam train connecting the north and the south."

The carriages at that time still had wooden wheels, and although they could run very fast on official roads, they were still far inferior to trains.

Chen Xiao said: "The Ministry of Internal Affairs has already sent people to various provinces to survey gold and silver mines as you said before, but are you sure about the mine map?"

As a person from later generations, Jia Heng naturally knew the main storage areas of gold and silver mines. During the Chongping period, he surveyed a lot of gold in Henan for Emperor Chongping.

Jia Heng nodded and said, "The main location is roughly correct, but it still needs the craftsmen from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to conduct a careful survey to determine the storage location."

Chen Xiao said: "That's good."

Afterwards, Jia Heng talked with Chen Xiao and the child for a while. He did not stay in the mansion for long. He left the inner study and planned to go to the Rongcui Temple to see Miaoyu.

Now that he has more time, he can spend more time with Miaoyu, Xiuyan and others in the backyard.

Grand View Garden, Cuicui Temple

Miaoyu was playing chess with Xing Xiuyun at the moment, and Yingchun was watching from the side, holding her rosy face with her slender hands, her eyes full of intelligence.

Xichun, on her side, also sat not far away and watched the few people, but she stroked her slightly bulging belly from time to time.

And that face, which originally had a bit of baby fat, now had the gentleness and warmth of a young woman.

Miaoyu nodded and said softly, "You two are pregnant, so you should walk around more often so that you don't get depressed and affect the fetus."

Xichun blushed and said softly, "Sister Miaoyu, you can't stay in the room and rest all the time."

Xing Xiuyan's graceful eyes showed a trace of worry, and she warned him, "You must be extra careful in the first three months."

Xichun hummed softly and gently stroked her belly which had not yet bulged. She felt both shy and happy in her heart.

At this moment, a maid with a bright face and black hair walked into the warm room and said, "Miss, the prince is here."

When Miaoyu heard this, her delicate face showed a hint of joy and she looked in the direction of the voice.

After a while, the young man in the python robe came quickly from outside, facing everyone's gaze, and said, "Miaoyu, Xiuyan, you are playing chess."

Miaoyu smiled softly, and her voice was a little soft and charming as she said, "I have nothing to do, so I play chess."

Xing Xiuyan got up at this moment, and immediately came to the side of a lacquered wooden table, picked up a blue and white porcelain teapot, handed it over, and said, "Your Highness, have some tea."

Jia Heng took a blue and white porcelain teacup, took a sip, then looked at Xichun beside him with a warm gaze and asked with concern: "Has sister Xichun seen the imperial physician?"

Xichun's snowy face, which had lost its baby fat, had two blushes on both sides. She said, "The imperial physician has already examined it."

Because Jia Heng had changed his surname to Su, even if Xichun was pregnant, she didn't have to hide from outsiders.

Miaoyu looked at Jia Heng with her bright eyes and said, "Have you predicted everything that's going on outside?"

Jia Heng said: "It has been completely predicted."

Miaoyu said: "You can spend more time with Yingchun and Xichun in the future."

……

……

Jia Heng had just finished dinner with Miaoyu, Yingchun and Xichun. He looked up and saw that the sky was as dark as ink. Red lanterns were hung on the eaves of the corridor. When the evening breeze blew, the lanterns cast circles of orange light of varying sizes.

Jia Heng, on his side, walked along a winding corridor towards the outer room.

In the next three months, news of the rebellion of Prince of Yan Chen Ze and Chief Minister Qi Kun spread in Shenjing City, and then the entire court began to purge the "political influence" of Qi Kun and Shi Jie.

One of them was from the Qi Party and the other from the Chu Party, and they already had many political allies under them.

First, the Ministry of Revenue where Qi Kun worked was replaced one by one. Afterwards, a large number of up-and-coming talents filled the Ministry of Revenue.

Lin Ruhai also officially became the chief minister of the Han cabinet, and the chief military minister was Prince Beijing Shui Rong.

The political situation of the Han Dynasty seemed to have opened a new chapter.

Jia Heng traveled between the palace and the Jia Mansion, playing with the children, and had a rare moment of free time.

However, the Ministry of Works and the Military Equipment Administration received good news frequently. First of all, the official road made of Han cement had been built to Nanjing. The official road between the north and the south was smooth, and trade was continuous.

As for the railway track laying, it is still underway from Shenjing to Luoyang, and it will take some time before it can be laid to Nanjing.

The officials in the court seemed to have been replaced with some new faces.

In fact, as long as the bureaucracy itself does not shut down on a large scale, there is no shortage of officials.

A certain degree of purge of the Qi and Chu parties did not cause major problems.

In addition, another piece of news that shocked the capital was that the Minister of Personnel Yao Yu resigned from his post and retired on the grounds of old age, and Jia Heng approved his resignation.

As a result, the position of Minister of Personnel also became vacant.

Palace Garden, Wuying Palace——

As autumn approaches, the branches and leaves of the several sycamore trees in front of the temple have turned yellow. A gentle breeze blows, and the leaves fall to the ground, forming a layer on the ground.

Today is a small-scale court meeting, with the cabinet, military affairs council, six ministries and nine officials all present. In addition, there are also some officials from the Zongli Yamen.

Jia Heng was sitting behind a lacquered wooden table in the hall, reviewing a military report delivered by the Grand Council.

With the recovery of Tibet, border affairs and related ethnic affairs gradually increased, especially in Liaodong, where Jurchens, Mongols and Han people lived together. Although the imperial court established prefectures and counties in Liaodong.

It can be said that the Han Dynasty at this moment was gradually showing the tendency of the later Qing Dynasty's Begonia Leaf Map. In addition, with the implementation of a series of reforms such as the land tax, the entire Han population has skyrocketed.

Liu Zheng said: "Your Highness, the influx of immigrants from Liaodong has exceeded one million. Liaodong Governor Wang Ziteng has submitted a petition to set up three more prefectures and two guards in Liaodong to accommodate the soldiers and civilians who have moved to the border from the interior."

Jia Heng nodded and said, "In principle, the decree approves that the recent immigrants will be organized into a register and that military and civilian settlements will be used to open up wasteland. In addition, officials from Liaodong prefectures and counties must be selected who are familiar with Jurchen affairs and carefully mediate conflicts among the various ethnic groups. The Lifanyuan will send personnel to supervise."

The current Governor-General of Liaodong is Wang Ziteng, who has been in Liaodong for almost four years.

Jia Heng asked, "Lord Zhao, how is the progress of the riverbank repairs on the Yellow River and Huai River this year?"

Zhao Yi, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and the Minister of Works, said: "The Governor of the River Guan Shoufang reported that the Huaihe River embankment has been renovated and the canal dredging is unimpeded."

Jia Heng nodded and said, "The cabinet has drafted an edict to commend Guan Shoufang and order him to draw up a detailed proposal for the Yellow River management and to draw up a map of the river embankment construction and submit it to the cabinet."

The Yellow River embankment also needs to be replanned, designed and renovated.

Zhao Yi nodded, which was considered as his agreement.

Jia Heng asked, "Earlier, I asked the Ministry of Works to send personnel to Jiangnan to survey the terrain and build official roads. How is this going?"

After that, there will be a period of infrastructure boom in the Han Dynasty.

Minister of Works Zhao Yi nodded and said, "Reporting to King Wei, the Ministry of Works has sent three groups of people to gather the craftsmen of the Ministry of Works in the Southern Province to assist in this matter."

Xie Zaiyi, the Duke of England, who was formerly the Minister of War and now actually in charge of the Ministry, took over the conversation and said, "Prince Wei, Qinghai has reported that the Junggar tribe in the Western Regions is still making unusual movements and seems to be preparing for war."

Today, after Shi Jie and other members of the Chu Party were purged, the Ministry of War is jointly managed by two military ministers, Prince Beijing and Duke of England.

Jia Heng was also looking for a new civil servant in the Ministry of War to serve as a vice minister to assist in the administrative affairs of the Ministry.

Jia Heng said, "The scouts from the Jinyi Palace have also reported this before. The Junggar and Yarkand tribes have been in frequent contact, trying to arrange an agreement to send troops together to fight against the Han Dynasty. This is nothing but wishful thinking!"

With the demise of the Khoshut Mongols in Tibet, the Yarkand Khanate also felt the chill from the Han Dynasty and wanted to gather an ally to keep warm.

The Dzungar tribe wanted to fight with the Han Dynasty and lobbied Yarkand with the theory that if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. As a result, the two sides almost hit it off and became allies.

Jia Heng nodded and said, "For the Ministry of War, send a letter to Qinghai and the seven guards in Guanxi to stockpile food and grass, train armor and soldiers, and be ready to respond to the enemy in the Western Regions at any time."

The Grand Councilor and Minister of War Xie Zaiyi responded with a "yes".

Jia Heng immediately turned his gaze to the Minister of Rites Liu Zheng and asked, "Have the provincial, prefectural, and county schools in various places opened new courses?"

Nowadays, Jia Heng is involved in almost all state affairs of the Han Dynasty. Compared with the government affairs during the reign of Emperor Chongping, which were complicated but more labor than achievement, the Han Dynasty under Jia Heng's governance is prosperous and full of vitality.

Liu Zheng looked at the young man in the python robe opposite him with a complicated look. He heard from his wife that his daughter seemed to have a romantic relationship with Prince Wei.

Minister of Rites Liu Zheng bowed and said, "Reporting to the Regent Prince, we have printed textbooks and distributed them to provincial schools, prefectural schools, and county schools as Prince Wei said before. However, due to the shortage of teachers, it is difficult to carry out teaching in the local areas."

Jia Heng smiled to himself when he heard this: "If Master Liu hadn't mentioned this, I would have forgotten this. Nowadays, new schools are indeed short of teachers."

The new school of thought, known for its philosophy of investigating things to acquire knowledge, had only been in existence for less than five years. Although it had gained a firm foothold in Confucianism and attracted some knowledgeable people to study it, it had not formed a large teaching staff.

It will take at least ten years to develop a country through science and education.

At this moment, Yu Xianmin, the chief censor of the Metropolitan Censorate, said, "Prince Regent, the cabinet is now overwhelmed with affairs and is still short of two cabinet ministers. At the same time, the position of Minister of Personnel has been vacant for nearly a month. Should we summon all the officials to the court for nominations?"

As the Han Dynasty began its vigorous domestic construction, the cabinet affairs did increase. However, as Lin Ruhai was getting older and had limited energy, he also needed someone to share the cabinet affairs.

When it came to personnel issues, all the ministers in the palace kept silent tacitly, waiting for the results. They were also somewhat curious about how King Wei would adjust the personnel.

At this moment in the Han Dynasty court, after the case of the deposed emperor Prince of Yan came to an end, it can be said that Jia Heng's family is the only one in power!
In other words, Jia Heng was the de facto emperor, holding an extremely high status.

As for the Qi Party, Chu Party, and Zhejiang Party, they were all severely suppressed and attacked, their disciples scattered, and new political factions were re-divided.

First, the core of the Jia Party in the Zongli Yamen were mostly young and strong people, who only connected with the six ministries of the court until one day Prince Wei successfully replaced the Han Dynasty and directly replaced the six ministries.

The second is the factions of important officials in the Han Dynasty court, represented by Lin Ruhai, Zhao Yi, Liu Zheng and others in the cabinet.

Needless to say, Lin Ruhai was trusted for his talent and his relationship as father-in-law and son-in-law of Jia Heng. He also had a group of capable ministers under him. He also had the power of Yu Xianmin, the chief censor of the Censorate, in charge of the Ministry of Rites. His power was even greater than that of Qi Kun, the previous chief minister of the cabinet.

Help Jia Heng to handle the internal affairs of the Han Dynasty in an orderly manner.

The Minister of Works Zhao Yi and the Vice Minister of Works Xu Guangqi were both pragmatists and were mainly responsible for the industrial plans assigned by Jia Heng.

Liu Zhengze belonged to the Qingliu school, which accepted Qingliu scholars from the six departments.

As Yu Xianmin mentioned the additions of cabinet ministers, all the ministers in the hall spoke up one after another, asking King Wei to "give instructions".

Because this matter has been suppressed by Jia Heng for several months.

Jia Heng pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Lin Ruhai and said, "Liu Zhenke, the governor of Zhejiang, has been diligent and frugal. He has supervised Zhejiang for six years and has made remarkable achievements. He can be transferred to the cabinet. What do you think of his placement, Lord Lin?"

Lin Ruhai said: "You can first transfer him to the position of Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and temporarily hold the title of Second Rank Assistant Minister, and grant him the title of Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, and enter the cabinet directly to be in charge of the affairs."

After the third year of Qiande, the assistant ministers of the six ministries were all promoted to the second rank, while the minister remained the second rank.

Jia Heng nodded and said, "Do as directed."

This was the agreement he reached with Han Huang. Liu Zhen, the governor of Zhejiang, was Han Huang's son-in-law and could be considered a latecomer of the Zhejiang Party.

Jia Heng thought for a moment and said, "Tan Jie, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing, worked diligently in the Ministry of Revenue and never slacked off in the transportation of grain. He was transferred to the capital and entered the cabinet to be in charge of the affairs. Zhang Yongchuan, the governor of Jiangsu, was transferred to the position of Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing."

As he completely took control of the government, these local officials in Jiangnan also came to join him.

Tan Jie was a scholar from the south of the Yangtze River. He had some connections with the Zhejiang Party, but he also kept a certain distance from them, so he could still be used.

When the officials in the palace heard that Tan Jie had entered the cabinet, they all wondered about Tan Jie and when he had managed to get close to King Wei.

"Feng Lian, the governor of Fujian, can be transferred to the post of governor of Jiangsu." Jia Heng thought for a moment and suddenly spoke.

Feng Lian was the nephew of Empress Dowager Feng and Jinyang's cousin.

Upon hearing this, the officials in the palace became suspicious.

The Governor-General of Liangjiang, Li Shouzhong, was not transferred to Shenjing to join the cabinet. He had already served in Liangjiang for five or six years, so his qualifications were sufficient.

Doesn’t Prince Wei want to continue placing his own people in the cabinet?

Just when the ministers were confused, they heard the King of Wei say: "Liangjiang Governor-General Li Shouzhong was transferred to Shenjing to serve as the Minister of Personnel. In the fifth year of Qiande, he will be in charge of the affairs of the capital."

Upon hearing this, the doubts in the ministers' hearts were finally resolved.

"Who will succeed the Governor-General of Liangjiang after he is transferred?" Liu Zheng asked.

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, and then said, "Taiwan Governor Xu Kai has made great contributions to the country in defending the land and herding the people, so he was transferred to the Governor-General of Liangjiang."

When these words were spoken, all the ministers in the palace were shocked. It was too much of a promotion for him to be appointed Governor-General of Liangjiang when he was less than 40 years old.